Sweet Pea Dilemma

Photo from Flickr

I received this question from Jodie:

"My husband inherited his parents home and before she passed away, my mother in law planted sweet peas. Now I have these little beauties all over...including in my lawn! I want to transplant them to a different area but I am unsure how to do this. Do I use the seeds they cast off and if so, do I soak them before planting? Or can I transplant the flower itself and if so what is the best time of year to do this?"

Sweet peas present many challenges in my area (Zone 5/6). It sounds from Jodie's narrative that she does not have this problem, as the plants are thriving in her lawn!

Sweet peas do not like to be transplanted, so I suggest collecting the seeds instead of trying to move the plants. (You can always try to dig up the plants and move them--make sure you dig around the plant, and try to keep as much of the root as possible. Then replant them where you want them. I just want you all to be aware that there is a strong chance the transplanted plants will not thrive.)

Once you have collected your seeds, hang on to them. If you have mild winters where you live, you can plant them in the fall. Most gardeners will need to hold on to them until early spring, though. Sweet peas bloom when temperatures are cool--no higher than 65F.

Before you plant, soak the seeds for 24 hours to speed germination, and lengthen the 'blooming' window. Some gardeners will also clip the seed with a pair of finger nail clippers. (The idea is to speed up germination as much as possible to take advantage of the narrow weather window in which the plants bloom.)

As soon as the ground is workable, plant the seeds in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. In my area, the bloom time for sweet peas only lasts a few weeks (it just gets too hot too fast).

Do you have more tips for Jodie? Leave a comment below.

Jodie, feel free to check in with pictures of this project later. We would love to hear how it goes!